Thirteen years after unruly Twins fans pelted him with projectiles at the Metrodome, Chuck Knoblauch will enter the team’s Hall of Fame.

Twins President Dave St. Peter made the announcement Friday, hours before the start of TwinsFest at Target Field. A 62-member committee chose Knoblauch as the 27th member of the Twins Hall of Fame.

Committee chairman Rod Carew notified Knoblauch by phone last weekend, and Knoblauch assured Carew he would make the trip to the Twin Cities for the Aug. 23 induction ceremony.

“I’m happy to report Chuck was not only surprised, he was very happy and, most importantly, incredibly honored,” St. Peter said. “He looks forward to coming to Minnesota to accept this honor.”

In a statement, Knoblauch said he was “humbled and honored” by the announcement, calling it an “unbelievable recognition.”

“It was a privilege to be a part of the Twins organization,” Knoblauch’s statement continued. “The time I spent in Minnesota will always hold a special place in my heart, and my family and I are excited about returning to the Twin Cities for the induction ceremony.”

Knoblauch, 45, spent seven seasons and made four all-star appearances with the Twins after they drafted him in the first round out of Texas A&M in 1989. He was named 1991 American League rookie of the year and helped the franchise win its last World Series title that fall.

Serving primarily as a leadoff hitter, the scrappy Knoblauch appeared in 1,013 games with the Twins, pounding out 1,197 hits while posting a batting average of .304 and an on-base percentage of .391. He also had 276 stolen bases with the Twins.

Traded to the New York Yankees on Feb. 6, 1998 for a package of four players, including Eric Milton and Cristian Guzman, Knoblauch helped the Yankees win three straight World Series championships as a second baseman.

He had returned to Minnesota to play against his former team many times before the ugly events of May 2, 2001. On $1 hot dog night at the Metrodome, Knoblauch, by then playing left field for the Yankees, was pelted with golf balls, Dome Dogs, batteries and plastic beer bottles.

Play was halted as Twins manager Tom Kelly walked out to left field to console his former star.

When the all-time Metrodome team was named in 2009, Knoblauch did not return to acknowledge that honor with former teammates.

As you comment, please be respectful of other commenters and other viewpoints. Our goal with article comments is to provide a space for civil, informative and constructive conversations. We reserve the right to remove any comment we deem to be defamatory, rude, insulting to others, hateful, off-topic or reckless to the community. See our full terms of use here.

More in Sports

Boos came pouring down from another sparse Target Center crowd on Friday night. With more than eight minutes to play, many were heading toward the exits. The Timberwolves (6-17) delivered another lackluster performance in their 117-90 loss to Detroit, and fans are growing more and more restless by the game. This season was supposed to be the one. With Tom Thibodeau...

It didn’t take long, or much, for Henry Ellenson to understand the physical nature of the NBA game. One elbow from 7-foot, 280-pound teammate Andre Drummond in training camp did the trick. “That one hurt,” Ellenson said. That’s been one of the biggest adjustments for the Rice Lake (Wis.) High School grad, who was drafted No. 18 overall by the...

EAST LANSING, Mich. — As happens when you are on a hot streak, Tyler Sheehy believed he had a good look at the net. Sheehy, Minnesota’s leading scorer with 22 points in 15 games and one of the highest-scoring players in college hockey over the past month, had the confidence to call for the puck while linemate Justin Kloos had an opportunity...

Adam Thielen has heard many descriptions about him in recent years: Hard-working guy. Local long shot who made the NFL. Gritty special teams player. Thielen, though, had longed to show much more. The Vikings wide receiver made the NFL in an unexpected way. The Detroit Lakes, Minn., native was undrafted in 2013 out of Minnesota State Mankato, and came out...

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer has one significant restriction for Sunday’s game at Jacksonville: Don’t get bowled over on the sideline. Zimmer is expected to be on the sideline rather than in the coaching box for his first game back since undergoing emergency eye surgery last week. But he needs to be careful. “The doctor just doesn’t want me to get...

Tre Jones is a prime candidate to post Russell Westbrook-like numbers for Apple Valley (2-0) this season. Like the Oklahoma City point guard, Jones is a triple-double possibility on any given evening. He already notched one: a 29-point, 13-rebound, 11-assist performance in Apple Valley’s win over defending Class A state champion Minneapolis North last Saturday. Jones followed that up with...